List of extinct languages of Africa

This is a list of extinct languages of Africa, languages which have undergone language death, have no native speakers and no spoken descendant. There are 73 languages listed.

Language Endangerment Status by UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger category
Extinct (EX)
Extinct (EX)	(lists)
Endangered
Critically Endangered (CR) Severely Endangered (SE) Definitely Endangered (DE) Vulnerable (VU)	(list) (list) (list) (list)
Safe
Safe (NE)	no list
Other categories
Revived (RE) Constructed (CL)	(list) (list)
Related topics Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger Endangered Languages Project Ethnologue Unclassified language List of languages by total number of speakers
UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger categories
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List

Language/dialect	Family	Date of extinction	Region	Ethnic group(s)
African Romance	Indo-European	1400s AD[1]	Roman Africa	Romans
Ajawa	Afro-Asiatic	1920-1940s AD[2]	Bauchi State	Nigerians
Akpondu	Afro-Asiatic	after 2005 AD[3]	Kaduna State	People from Akpondu
Asa	Afro-Asiatic	after 1999 AD[4]	Tanzania	Asa
Auyokawa	Atlantic–Congo	[data missing]	Jigawa State	Nigerians
Basa-Gumna	Atlantic–Congo	1987[5]	Chanchaga	Nigerians
Beigo	Eastern Sudanic?	1960s[6]	Darfur	Beigo speakers
Berti	Saharan	1990s[7]	South Darfur	People of Darfur
Bikya	Atlantic–Congo	1987[8]	Cameroon	Bikya speakers
Birgid	Eastern Sudanic	1970s AD[9]	North Darfur	Birgid speakers
Bishuo	Atlantic–Congo	[data missing]	Cameroon	Bishuo speakers
Boro	Atlantic–Congo?	[data missing]	Ghana	Boro speakers
Bosha	Afro-Asiatic	[data missing]	Kingdom of Garo	Oromo people
Busuu	Niger–Congo (Probable)	Late 2000s[10]	Native to Cameroon	Busuu speakers
Coptic	Afro-Asiatic	1600s AD[11][L]	Egypt	Copts
Duli	Atlantic–Congo	1970-1990s AD[12]	northern Cameroon	Duli speakers
El Molo	Afro-Asiatic	1999s AD[13]	Lake Turkana	El Molo people
Esuma	Atlantic–Congo	1800s AD[14]	Assinie-Mafia	People of the Ivory Coast
Egyptian	Afro-Asiatic	400s AD[15]	Ancient Egypt	Egyptians
Gafat	Afro-Asiatic	after 1947 AD[16]	Ethiopia	Gafat people
Gamo-Ningi	Atlantic–Congo	1980s AD[17]	Bauchi State	Nigerians
Gbin	Mande	1900s AD[18]	Bondoukou	Gbin speakers
Geʽez	Afro-Asiatic	2000 AD[19][L]	Eritrea and Ethiopia	Ethiopians and Eritreans
Guanche	Afro-Asiatic?	1500s AD[20]	Canary Islands	Guanches
Gule	Koman?	since 1932[21]	Sudan	Gule speakers
Homa	Atlantic–Congo	1975 AD[22]	South Sudan	Homa speakers
Horo	Central Sudanic	1940-1960s AD[23]	Chad	Horo speakers
Italian Eritrean	Italian based Pidgin	[data missing]	Eritrea	Italians and Eritreans
Jalaa	Language isolate	1992	Nigeria	Jalabe
Kasabe	Atlantic–Congo	5 November 1995[24]	Cameroon	Kasabe people
Kpati	Atlantic–Congo	1971 AD[25]	Taraba State	Nigerians
Kubi	Afro-Asiatic	1995 AD[26]	Bauchi State	Nigerians
Kwadi	Khoe–Kwadi	1981 AD[27]	Angola	Kwadi speakers
Kwʼadza	Afro-Asiatic?	1980s[28]	Mbulu	Kwʼadza speakers
Lisan al-Gharbi	Afro-Asiatic	1300-1500s AD[29]	Morocco	Berbers
Lower Nossob	Tuu	2005	South Africa and Botswana	Lower Nossob speakers
Lung	Niger–Congo (Probable)	early 20th century[30]	Cameroon	Lung speakers
Mamluk-Kipchak	Turkic	after 1516 AD[31]	Egypt	Mamluk
Mawa	unclassified	[data missing]	Nigeria	Nigerians
Meroitic	unclassified	300s AD[32]	Kingdom of Kush	Meroitic people
Mesmes	Afro-Asiatic	2000 AD[33]	Kingdom of Kush	Mesmes
Mittu	Central Sudanic	1940s AD[34]	South Sudan	Morokodo and Madi
Mozarabic	Indo-European	1400s AD[35]	North Africa	Mozarabs
Muskum	Chadic	1981 AD[36]	Chad	Muskum speakers
Nagumi	Atlantic–Congo	after 1977 AD[37]	Cameroon's Northern region	Nagumi people
Ngasa	Afro-Asiatic?	1950s AD[38]	Tanzania	Ngasa
Ngbee	Atlantic–Congo	1960s AD[39]	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Mangbele
Ngomvia	Afro-Asiatic?	1976-1999 AD[40]	Mbulu	Ngomvia speakers
Nhlangwini	Niger–Congo?	[data missing]	South Africa	Nhlangwini/Ntlangwini
Numidian	Afro-Asiatic	200s BC[41]	Numidia	Numidians
Palmyrene Aramaic	Afro-Asiatic	after 274 AD[42]	Palmyrene Empire	Palmyrenes
Punic	Afro-Asiatic	600s AD[43]	Carthage	Carthaginians
Sabaic	Afro-Asiatic	600s AD[44]	Horn of Africa	Sabaeans
Sabir	Romance-based Pidgin	1800s AD[45]	Mediterranean Basin	Medieval traders and Crusaders
Sened	Afro-Asiatic	1990[46]	Tunisia	Speakers in Sened
Seroa	Tuu	1870s AD[47]	South Africa	Seroa speakers
Singa	Atlantic–Congo	[data missing]	Rusinga Island	Singa speakers
Socotra Swahili	Afro-Asiatic	by 2009 AD[48]	Socotra	Soqotri people
Sokna	Afro-Asiatic	[data missing]	Fezzan	Sokna speakers
Teshenawa	Afro-Asiatic	[data missing]	Jigawa State	Nigerians
Togoyo	Ubangian	1985 AD[49]	South Sudan	Togoyo people
Tonjon	Mande	since the 1950s[50]	Vallée du Bandama District	Djimini
Torona	Atlantic–Congo	January 2014 AD[51]	South Kordofan	Torona people
Vandalic	Indo-European	400s AD[52]	North Africa	Vandals
Vazimba	Austronesian	[data missing]	Madagascar	Vazimba
Weyto	unclassified	[data missing]	Lake Tana	Weyto caste
ǀXam	Tuu	1910s AD[53]	South Africa and Lesotho	ǀXam speakers
ǁKā	Tuu	late 20th century	South Africa	ǁKā speakers
ǁXegwi	Tuu	1988 AD[54]	Lake Chrissie	ǁXegwi
ǃGãǃne	Tuu	after 1931	South Africa, near Tsolo	ǃGãǃne speakers
ǂUngkue	Tuu	mid 20th century[55]	South Africa, Vaal River	ǂUngkue speakers
Yeni	Atlantic–Congo	[data missing]	Cameroon	Yeni speakers
Zumaya	Afro-Asiatic	by 2006 AD[56]	Cameroon	Zumaya speakers

See also

• Languages of Africa
• List of endangered languages in Africa
• The extinction of African languages due to colonialism

Notes

^L These languages can still be spoken today, but are only used liturgically.